The Silver Mage - Katharine Kerr [13]
As the three of them started toward the dragons, Wynni heard Dallandra calling from behind them, though she couldn’t understand her words. She glanced back to see the dweomermaster running after them, waving her arms.
“She wants us to stop,” Branna said.
The three of them waited for Dallandra to catch up.
“Let me go ahead,” Dalla told them. “I want to make sure that Arzosah’s in a good mood. One never knows with dragons, and she’s very jealous of your mother, Wynni.”
Dallandra strode off through the grass to join the dragons. Arzosah lifted her massive head, and Medea sat up, curling her long green-and-gold tail around her front paws like a giant cat. Although they were too far away for Berwynna to hear their conversation, she could see the results. At first Arzosah listened carefully, then suddenly threw back her head and roared. Dallandra set her hands on her hips and yelled right back.
“Oh, joy,” Salamander said. “It’s a good thing Dalla did go ahead, it seems.”
While the black dragon and the dweomermaster argued, the green-and-gold dragon waddled toward Berwynna and Salamander. Although Father Colm had always said that dragons were the absolute peak and zenith of evil, Berwynna had lost her faith in the priest’s sayings, but she had to admit that her heart began to beat faster and harder. Salamander went tense, then stepped in front of Berwynna, but the dragon ducked her head and let out a quiet rumbling sound, a dragonish equivalent of a smile.
“Greetings, stepsister!” she said. “My for-sharing name is Medea, and I assure you that I don’t bear you the least ill will.”
“My thanks.” Berwynna curtsied to her. “I do feel a great fear upon me of your mother.”
“No need.” The dragon rumbled a bit more loudly. “She agreed right away to never harm you. They’re arguing about somewhat else, the spirit named Evandar.”
“Ah.” Salamander sounded greatly relieved. “They argue about him constantly, so we may rest assured that all is normal and summery in life.”
“Very true.” The dragon paused for a yawn that revealed teeth like long dagger blades. “My apologies. These warm days make me sleepy. Anyway, so you’re my stepfather’s hatchling?”
“I am, and I do have a twin sister back home. Her name be Mara.”
“So I have two stepsisters.” Medea seemed honestly delighted with the news. “And you have another stepsister and a brother back home in our fire mountain.”
“Oh, that be splendid!” Berwynna said. “We were so lonely, you see, on our island, but now we do have a clan. What be your father like?”
“Alas, he’s no longer with us. The wretched Horsekin slew him.”
“That aches my heart. They did kill my betrothed as well.”
Medea stretched out her neck and gave Berwynnaa gentle nudge of sympathy. “So sad!” the dragon said. “To lose someone so young! Now, our father was old and ill. That’s the only reason those horrible bastards of Horsekin could capture him.”
“Were your da a fair bit older than your mam, then?”
“Truly he was. At least a thousand years older, maybe more.”
“Ai! You live so long a time!”
“We do, at that. But Papa was so ill that he wanted to bathe in a hot spring near our lair. When he didn’t come home, Mama left me to watch my younger hatchling while she went off to find him.” Medea hissed as if she were remembering the day. “Papa never came home. The Horsekin slew him while he tried to get free of the spring, and then they gloated about it.”
“Did your mother kill them for it?”
“As many as she could catch, truly. They couldn’t harm her. I can’t imagine anyone capturing Mama.”
“No more can I. She be magnificent.”
“I’ll tell her you said so. She’ll like that.”
Medea turned around and waddled off, heading back to her mother, who was still in full argument with a furious Dallandra. Salamander sighed and shook his head.
“They can go on like that for half a day.” He waved a hand toward the pair.
“Truly,” Branna said. “I think we’d best go back to camp.”
“Indeed,” Salamander said. “Wynni, I’ll introduce you later.”
By the time she finished talking with Arzosah, Dallandra’s mood had turned